Fridge compressor advice needed

[James]

Hi Everyone,

I have a fridge freezer (about 6 years old) which is being replaced as the insulation has failed and is not economical to repair.

The compressor is still working fine and my question is is it possible to easily remove the compressor?

I don't know anything about the venting/removing/disposing of the refrigerant and if there are any legal issues/things to look out for?

Anyone have any experience with this?

Cheers,

James

[Rupert Edgar]

Hi,

A bit devil in the details - first find out what gas is in it.  If you look somewhere there will be a sticker detailing which gas it has in it.

Rupert

[Tom Allen]

All gases in fridges are covered by f gas regulatotion and should never be vented to atmosphere unless you are 200% sure which one it is (and the vast majority shouldn't be)

There are loads of guides online as to what you can turn them into (vacuum or pressure) but little info on disposing of the gas responsibly unfortunately.

And yes even the small amount in one fridge does count.

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[Rupert Edgar]

Defo not - but I was going to suggest, going to a car aircon place and having it evacuated depending on which type it is. :)

Though a lot of them are basically propane and butane.  How ever if it's one of the Ammonia ones - would strongly say don't bother!

[James]

Thanks guys - I will have a look to see what gas is in it.

[Tom Allen]

It's unlikely to be ammonia or propane unless it's more than twenty years old. Most likely r then two or three digit code. Totally forgot that all car air con places have waste gas tanks. Phone around and find a friendly one to Degas it. Pls do ensure they have a waste tank and aren't just venting to air though unless you've checked the code and a valid source to say that's ok :)

On 14 Jun 2016 2:08 p.m., "James" <pira...@hotmail.co.uk> wrote:

Thanks guys - I will have a look to see what gas is in it.

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[James]

hi all,

so i have got the fridge out and and it has r600a (isobutain) refridgerent. From what i have read so far it looks like it is safe to vent to atmosphere. i cant find an official source stating this though.

Anyone have any advice?

thanks,
james

[Yossi]

Seems like all those regulations work in your favour. Building a vacum table?

http://www.linde-gas.com/en/products_and_supply/refrigerants/natural_refrigerants/r600a_isobutane/index.html

http://www.hydrocarbons21.com/articles/us_epa_lifts_venting_prohibition_for_snap_approved_hydrocarbons

[Tom Allen]

looks fine to me

http://www.boconline.co.uk/en/products-and-supply/refrigerant-gases/natural-refrigerants/care10-r600a/care10-r600a.html

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[Mr E]

Hi,

Ok - Chatted to my sister who's a fully qualified Environmental Scientist.  Agree, it's fine to vent, but if you want to be "good", nick a hole in it somewhere (outside!), and then light it, as it vents - obviously taking precautions for things catching fire.

Then you convert it's "Global Warming Potential" to that of just Carbon Dioxide, which is as low as you can get it.

Once vented, cut the pipes off, leaving plenty spare, and remember it'll have oil in it's sump.

Good luck :)

Rupert

On Sat, Jun 25, 2016 at 6:06 PM, Yossi <jos...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[James]

Thanks for the advice everyone, sounds like im good to go! Very pleased as would be a shame to take the whole thing to the tip when there are decent/useful parts to salvage.

yossi - yes, vacuum table pump or maybe a chip blower for the boxford mill if it has enough puff.

I know nothing about compressors so it will be a interesting project for me :)

thanks again,
James

[Yossi]

James,

You might need to consider lubrication, refrigeration compressors have oil in the gas loop, so they get a constant supply of oil.

One way of solving this is to add an air tool service unit with an oilier upstream. The oil can be scrubbed downstream after the compressor, if you fit a particulate filter on the inlet you will be able to reuse the oil.

[Chris Beresford]

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=9710 has quite a lot of detail from some folks doing something similar.